The Risks of Espionage
by Ilmare2
Summary: What happened the night Voldemort revealed Snape as a spy? Small prequel to The Price We Pay! Read and Review!


Title – The Risks of Espionage

Rating – PG/K+

Disclaimer – I own none of this, it all belongs to Rowling. I just have the honor of using her creations in my story. No slash, sex or profanity.

Summary – What happened the night Voldemort revealed Snape as a spy?

A/N – This is the prequel to my fic 'The Price We Pay.' I would recommend reading that first before reading this, but it's not really necessary. This is just a one shot detailing the night Snape was revealed as a spy and imprisoned by Lord Voldemort. You can read it as a stand-alone or as part of TPWP. All reviews are welcome! Read and enjoy!

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The Risks of Espionage

Three more counterclockwise stirs and…done!

Severus Snape waved the burner off with his wand and let this latest batch of Veritaserum cool. Wiping his brow with a nearby towel, the Potions Master leaned wearily against the worktable of his private lab and sighed. This batch of truth serum was for the Order of the Phoenix and would be delivered to Aurors loyal to the Order tomorrow morning. And though it was nearing midnight, Snape knew he could not rest, for Lord Voldemort was expecting a new batch of Veritaserum in two days time and he needed to get started on it right away.

With another sigh Snape levitated over a clean cauldron and turned to his personal supply cupboards when a sharp pain sliced through his left forearm. Hissing, he clutched the burning Dark Mark and curled over in pain. 'Of all the times for Voldemort to call, he had to pick tonight,' Snape thought bitterly as he took several deep breaths and worked on controlling the burning sensations. He had papers to mark, potions to attend to and hopefully work on his own personal research. 'Why can't he ever summon us on a week-end?' He grumbled. After a few seconds Snape managed to suppress the pain enough to prepare to leave.

Entering his office he scribbled a quick note to Headmaster Dumbledore informing him about the summons and rang a bell on his desk. A house elf appeared instantly and he handed the note to the cowering creature with orders to deliver it to the Headmaster immediately. The shaking elf bowed and disappeared with a pop.

Snape gritted his teeth as the Mark flared anew and swept into his private rooms. He went to his bedroom and opened the wardrobe, tapping his wand against a hidden back panel to remove the black robes and white mask contained within. Scowling at the mask, Snape stuffed it roughly into his robes before he warded his quarters and office against intruders and left.

The dungeons were silent and empty as Snape headed down dark corridors and up lesser-known staircases until he reached a hidden door in the stone. It was a back entrance to the castle that only himself, Filch and Dumbledore were aware of and it was very useful when Snape was summoned and had to leave the castle quickly. He touched his wand to the stone door and it swung open to admit cool October air.

Snape used the walk from the castle to the Forbidden Forest to strengthen his mental shields and clear his mind of all stray emotions and thoughts. If Voldemort decided to see into his mind he would see naught but the thoughts of a devoted Death Eater. The Dark Lord would still find some excuse to punish his Death Eaters and as the one closest to Dumbledore, Snape often bore the brunt of that punishment.

The edge of the Forest loomed before him and Snape just scowled back at the shadows, feeling no fear at walking through the Forest in the middle of the night. After all, a walk through the Forbidden Forest was quite easy for him, considering the evil monster he would be apparating to in a moment. Years of service under Voldemort had hardened Snape to the dangers of the world in general.

When he reached the clearing that marked the end of the anti-apparation wards, Snape wasted no time in pulling on the white mask and pressing his hand to the still burning Dark Mark to apparate away.

- & -

Riddle Manor was an old, dilapidated house on a hill that overlooked the village of Little Hangleton. On the outside it looked run down and battered, but on the inside it was a mansion fit for a king. Or a Dark Lord in this instance.

Snape squared his shoulders and walked up the pathway to the front door, which swung open silently to admit him. He followed the pull of the Dark Mark to the left where Voldemort's main throne room was located.

The eyes of the gathered Death Eaters stared at him behind their white masks as Snape entered and took his usual place in the Inner Circle. Voldemort was sitting quietly on his throne, red eyes gazing lazily over the room before he turned to whisper some order to Wormtail, who was kneeling at his feet. Snape sneered behind his mask as he watched the pathetic man grovel on the ground then left the room to do his Master's bidding.

The meeting began when Voldemort rose from his throne and stepped down into the circle, rearranging his fine black robes. Many of the weaker minded Death Eaters, like Avery and Rookwood, could not stand the awesome power of the Dark Lord's gaze for very long and shifted uneasily in their places. A select few, like Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange met Voldemort's eyes and stood unwavering before him. Snape of course could meet the Lord's penetrating gaze for a few long moments before having to look away to preserve his mental shielding. Voldemort lingered longer than usual on him and Snape forced himself to remain still and silent. Finally, the Dark Lord turned to the group as a whole and said,

"A simple gathering tonight my Death Eaters. I am most interested to hear how our efforts on the Continent are proceeding and how things stand within the Ministry. Antonin, tell me about your trip to Berlin."

Antonin Dolohov stepped forward to give his report and so the meeting began. Snape listened attentively, keeping track of all the new developments and memorizing the names mentioned as each Death Eater gave their report to Voldemort. Dumbledore would want as many details as he could remember and every bit of information was useful to the Order. When it was his turn Snape stepped forward obediently and said,

"Things remain the same at Hogwarts my Lord. Dumbledore renewed the wards of the Astronomy Tower last week, but all defences I am aware of are still in place. Harry Potter continues to receive training from the werewolf Lupin. I am afraid I have nothing new to report."

Snape waited with held breath for Voldemort's reaction and was very surprised he did not receive a few seconds of the cruciatus curse as punishment for his meager report. Something was odd about this meeting, although Snape could not figure out what. His strange feelings were further confirmed when Voldemort simply nodded and replied,

"Very well Severus. Continue to keep an eye on the old fool. I expect my new batch of Veritaserum at our next meeting."

"Yes my Lord, thank you."

The Dark Lord however had already moved on to the next Death Eater. Snape closed his eyes momentarily in relief and continued to pay sharp attention to the remainder of the meeting, mind working fast to figure out Voldemort's game. The Dark Lord finally reached the last Death Eater and Lucius Malfoy began to speak about the dealings within the Ministry of Magic and his efforts to influence certain members of the Minister's Office and Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Snape listened with half an ear; he heard all about Malfoy's attempts to bribe or blackmail the Ministry from Arthur Weasley at the Order meetings and felt no need to listen to Lucius preach now. When Malfoy was done he and Voldemort shared a few whispered words and Voldemort returned to sit on his throne. He motioned with his wand and Snape could feel that the wards of Riddle Manor had been raised. No one could apparate in or out now.

Snape stomped down on the fear that rose suddenly in his heart and remained calm. His instincts were screaming at him that things were about to go terribly wrong. He did not know why Voldemort had raised the wards at the _end_ of the meeting and could only wait anxiously as the Dark Lord casually twirled his wand and said,

"We have one last piece of business to attend to tonight my loyal Death Eaters. It appears we have a traitor in our midst. And we all know what we do with traitors."

Oh this was not good. Not good at all. The Dark Lord was looking right at him with an evil smile on his face that made Snape shiver slightly. He swallowed hard and forced himself to meet Voldemort's stare.

He could feign ignorance and hopefully plead his way out of whatever punishment was coming, or he could attack and attempt to escape. Either way, it looked like a no win situation for him. The eyes of the entire room were focused on him now and every Death Eater had drawn their wands. Snape belatedly realized that this meeting had been planned for him from the start and that no amount of lies or pleas would save him now. Voldemort knew.

Snape moved to draw his own wand and was instantly disarmed and stunned with multiple spells. He fell painfully to the ground and lay prone while his wand was taken and robes searched for other magical items and potions. Closing his eyes against the inevitable, Snape felt magical ropes tightly binding his legs and arms as he was dragged in front of Voldemort's throne. His mask was ripped off and there was a heavy silence until Voldemort said with a surprising tone of sadness in his voice,

"My dear Severus, did you think you could get away with it forever? You had me played for such a fool all this time. Sly little snake." He paused and Snape finally opened his eyes to see Voldemort pointing his wand at him, red eyes blazing in the torchlight. "I will enjoy seeing what is inside that clever little mind of yours. _Crucio!_"

White-hot pain tore through his body and Snape ground his teeth together to keep from crying out. This was sure to be just a taste of the pain he was to endure that night and he would not give them the satisfaction of hearing him cry and beg. The curse was halted for a moment only to be cast again a second later. Just when Snape thought he could not stay conscious any longer Voldemort released him from the cruciatus and said,

"Do you have anything to say in your defence Severus? Surely you have some fantastical excuse or story prepared."

His throat raw from screaming, Snape only glared silently at his former master, knowing Voldemort had no real desire to hear the answers to his questions. Voldemort laughed softly and again cast the cruciatus, holding it until Snape finally passed out. The Dark Lord then turned to his eager followers and gestured to the motionless body as his feet.

"Revive him. You will each have your fun with the traitor tonight."

- & -

A long, low groan issued from the wizard on the floor and he blinked open his sore eyes to stare blankly at the vaulted ceiling. Every part of his body hurt, from his hair to his toes. He was trembling fiercely and felt like his body would break apart if the cruciatus was cast one more time. His bones were aching and broken, his skin was bruised and cut and his blood slowly leaked out of him to stain the stone floor. Snape knew it was only the beginning of the night's festivities.

As a Death Eater, Snape thought he knew the limits of human depravity. He had witnessed brutal rapes, interrogations, murders and executions. He had even participated in some of the more violent and bloody affairs in his early days as a loyal follower of Voldemort. Snape had once mentioned to Dumbledore that every Death Eater was in some part insane. It was what enabled them to commit such horrible crimes in the Dark Lord's name. It was that insanity that allowed Snape to continue to spy on Voldemort, even when every rational, sane part of him screamed otherwise.

But Snape had never been at the mercy of that collective madness and when a shadow fell over him he instinctively shied away, trying to escape. A pale white hand came to rest on his chest to still his movements and Snape was too weak to continue the struggle. He went limp and braced himself for the next wave of pain.

"As much as I have enjoyed this evening Severus, I'm afraid I must get down to business. Tell me your secrets and I will make this easy on you. Do not continue to fight me."

Snape could only shake his head weakly and saw Voldemort frown unhappily. The Dark Lord gripped his face so he could not look away and used his powers of Legilimency to test his mental shields. Pain had weakened them, but not enough for Voldemort to see into his thoughts and memories.

"Give up Severus. You cannot hold out forever."

The mental probe came again and Snape used every bit of knowledge he knew about occlumency and magical shielding to keep Voldemort out. It was a battle of wills, one that Snape knew he would lose eventually, and he continued to fight, not for his sake but for Dumbledore's and the Order. He had to resist, stay strong for just a little bit longer and give Dumbledore enough time to call the Order together and initiate the contingency plans for if he was captured. With a snarl, Voldemort ripped his way out of Snape's mind and left him panting and shaking on the floor.

"No matter. I have all the time in the world to crack that little mind of yours Severus. I know you are a spy and a traitor." The Dark Lord rose and circled Snape like a predator about to make a kill. "Your precious Dumbledore placed his trust in too many weak minded fools. He should have known not to trust a drunken thief like Mundungus Fletcher. I didn't even have to use Veritaserum before he was spilling all his secrets."

Snape frowned as he recalled that Fletcher had disappeared 3 months ago only to be later discovered half-dead and insane. He was now a patient at St. Mungo's. Things suddenly became crystal clear and Snape cursed.

"Such a dirty mouth you have Severus. Surely you and the old fool realized that Fletcher would reveal everything he knew about the Order given the right amount of _stimulation_? Including a tasty bit of information about a certain Potions Master turned spy. He was such an easy egg to crack; bored dear Bellatrix to tears. His information confirmed what I have suspected for years."

A soft, feminine laugh came from behind him and Snape tried to ignore the picture of Fletcher in the hands of psychotic Bellatrix Lestrange. No wonder he talked. After experiencing Bellatrix's proficiency at torture firsthand tonight, Snape knew Fletcher had easily revealed the Order's secrets. Voldemort was right; Dumbledore never should have trusted Fletcher with so much sensitive information. He groaned and looked away.

"You know I am a very thorough person and with the help of Lucius here we made sure you were specifically fed certain bits of false information." Voldemort chuckled, "Imagine our surprise when we discovered the same information had _somehow_ reached the ears of Dumbledore and the Ministry. For such an intelligent man Severus you are a terrible spy."

Finding the energy to glare defiantly at his former master, Snape spit out a tooth and some blood and replied,

"It took you this long to discover my allegiances? I was a spy for Dumbledore for more years than you are apparently aware of _my Lord_. I do not regret my actions then or now and I do not fear you anymore."

Voldemort's cocky smile vanished and he narrowed his red eyes in barely controlled anger. He pointed his wand at Snape and called out,

__

"Crucio!"

Snape writhed and screamed and when the pain stopped Voldemort was whispering in his ear,

"My poor deluded Severus. Why did you turn your back on us, your true friends, for a senile old Gryffindor who would betray you if it suited his purposes and protected his golden children?" There was no reply, "Answer me!" Snape only whimpered from the pain, _"Crucio!"_

It felt like his bones were melting and his blood was boiling and with the excruciating pain came the questions. Where was the Order of the Phoenix headquartered? Who were all the members? What does Dumbledore have planned? What are the wards protecting Hogwarts? How could they infiltrate the castle?

Over and over again Voldemort asked the same questions and cast the cruciatus until Snape had lost the ability to think clearly, let alone talk. But through the haze of pain he knew he had not revealed anything, he had remained true to Dumbledore. It was, in the end, a futile gesture. Voldemort would question him with veritaserum when his will was weakened and his knowledge would be revealed sooner or later.

Strong hands picked him up off the ground as Voldemort said,

"Lock him in the lower dungeons. We will try again in the morning."

Just before Snape lost consciousness, he felt the last remains of hope in his heart shatter and thought desperately,

'I'm sorry Albus.'

- & -

Sitting alone in one of the towers of Hogwarts an old wizard sighed and leaned his forehead against a window. His blue eyes had been fixated on the edge of the Forbidden Forest for the last few hours, waiting for a tall dark figure to stalk out of the trees. So far his watch had been in vain.

Albus Dumbledore finally turned away from the window of his private sitting room and returned to his chair by the fire. He sat down heavily and removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. His gaze travelled down to the note held tightly in his fist and with the same sense of dread he always felt whenever Severus was summoned he smoothed out the piece of paper and read it yet again.

__

Albus,

Summoned around midnight.

SS

A very simple message, yet it held more meaning and emotion than he thought possible. Dumbledore felt his heart shift through anxiety, despair and anticipation before finally settling on worry. He was worried about his potions professor, his dark child. He hated these messages from the dungeons, always delivered by a house elf in the late hours of the night, because he knew on some level that he was responsible for these late night notes. The Order needed the information Severus provided and despite the spy's assurances that he was in no danger, Dumbledore could not help but worry for his safety. Sometimes he just wanted to lock Severus in his dungeons and never allow him to see Voldemort again. If anything had happened at this meeting, Dumbledore did not know what he would do. Stopping that line of thought before he spiralled further into the depths of despair and guilt Dumbledore shoved the note back into his pocket and stood up to stare out the window again.

The first light of dawn was peeking over the horizon when Dumbledore stirred from his gloomy thoughts. Fawkes landed gently on his shoulder and tapped on the window with his beak. The phoenix was very perceptive and knew what was troubling his wizard. The Headmaster slowly stroked the warm feathers and said,

"He's not back yet old friend. Severus will show up just in time for breakfast."

Fawkes chirped questioningly and Dumbledore tried to smile, but his heart just was not in the effort and his blue eyes continued to gaze dully out the window.

"I don't know why he hasn't returned. He is usually never detained past dawn. I'm sure Severus will be back soon."

The phoenix remained silent and with a reassuring nip at his beard, flew back to his perch. Dumbledore pressed his forehead against the window and touched his fingertips to the glass. He gave another deep sigh and resumed the vigil for his wayward child.

"Where are you Severus?" Dumbledore whispered.

He would not find out the answer to his question for another eight months.

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The End

Like I said, this is just a one shot that I got in my head and couldn't get rid of. But if you want to find out what happens to Severus and Albus definitely read 'The Price We Pay' by yours truly:) Thanks for reading!


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